Fitzwilliam Darcy, Rock Star

Jane (smiling beautifully): “Yes, it is. But in my defense, I have to say it was before I was pregnant.”

Charles smiles warmly at her.

Charles: “Not that it would have mattered.”

Mark: “You’ve just completed a heavy four months of touring. During that time, not only were you performing, but you were also starting your own label, Pemberley Records. What can you tell us about that?”

Sighs and laughter from everyone.

Richard: “I’ll tell you, it was a great experience that I hope we’ll never have to repeat.” Everyone nods. “There’s nothing in the world like touring and performing every night, but it takes a lot out of you. We had the additional complications of Jane’s condition and our fairly new relationships, so there was something different every day.” He smiles. “I will say that we never could have made it without each other’s support and the support of an absolutely amazing team of people we have working with us.”

Mark: “Richard, your marriage surprised a lot of people. Many people said you would never settle down.”

Richard: “My mother being one of them.” Laughter. “I was actually in a pretty bad place during the first half of the tour. I was doing some really self-destructive things and it was during the break in July that I realized I had to stop and turn myself around or I would lose everything.” His fingers lace with Charlotte’s. “I was lucky in that I found someone who wasn’t willing to give up on me and that I have this great group of friends who have helped and stood by me every day.”

Charlotte says nothing but squeezes his hand.

Mark (referring to notes): “You all honeymooned together?”

Jane: “Yes, at Richard’s condo in Honolulu.”

Mark: “It’s unusual for people, even members of a group, to be so close.”

Charlotte: “Don’t get the wrong idea. I’ve seen department stores smaller than that condo. We didn’t see Will and Lizzy for five days straight.” Laughter.

Darcy (looking cool while Elizabeth blushes): “We’re very close.”

Richard: “We are all related now, through marriage. We made a chart when we were touring.”

Charlotte: “There’s a lot of down time on the road.”

Richard: “A lot of down time. But we made a chart and we figured that Charles and Char were the most distantly related but that we’re all one big family.”

Elizabeth (to Richard): “How did that go again?”

Richard (pointing): “Charles to Char is my cousin’s wife’s brother-in-law.”

Mark: “So, what is coming next for you?”

Darcy: “We’re all going out to California. Both groups have new songs to record.”

Mark: “This past year has given you some inspiration?”

Darcy: “You might say that.”

Elizabeth: “We, LBS, need to get our next CD recorded before Jane gives birth in May.”

Charlotte: “We hope we have until May.”

Jane: “Speak for yourself.” Laughter.

Darcy: “We’re going to be producing LBS’s next CD, and then we’ll record our own.”

Mark: “Why California?”

Darcy (smiling ruefully): “Because that’s what Charles wants.”

Charles: “You want to stay in New York in this weather?” He smiles, then pats Jane’s tummy. “These are West Coast babies; they are going to be born where they belong.”

Mark: “Do you know what you are having?”

Jane: “We know one of them is a boy, and the other one is shy.”

Elizabeth: “Once we have the next CDs recorded, Richard, Charlotte, Fitzwilliam, and I will return to New York to finish up all the details for Pemberley and give Charles and Jane some downtime with the babies. Then we’ll have the formal launch of Pemberley Records. At that time, we’ll be announcing other groups that are signed to the label, but right now we are still working out the legal details.”

Mark: “And when will this be happening?”

Darcy: “We anticipate sometime this summer.”

Mark: “That sounds like you have quite a bit of work planned.”

Charles: “We’re really fortunate in the team of people we have working for us, because it’s a lot of work. What you see here”—gestures to indicate the group—“wouldn’t be possible if it weren’t for our team.”

Mark: “And some of them are family members, too?”

Charlotte (laughing): “That’s right, my brother Alex is the general manager at Pemberley and Charles’s sister Caroline manages both the bands.”

Richard: “We’re always busy, but that’s good. The worst thing in this business is to do nothing. Right now we’re in a really good place, both business-wise and creatively, to do the things we’ve always wanted to do.”

Mark: “Lizzy, Charlotte, Jane, it’s been a little over a year since your first CD was released, less than a year since you met Slurry. Some people have called your story a ‘modern-day fairy tale.’ Did you ever imagine you would be here?”

Jane: “We always knew we had the talent and the drive. And I will admit that before we met Slurry, I didn’t know if we were ever going to make it really big. But when I met Charles, and he asked me to sing with him, I knew that our lives would be different.”

Charlotte: “It is like a fairy tale. I read the news reports and even I can’t believe it. I mean, the three members of a girl group marrying the three members of a rock band. That just sounds so hokey. If you tried to sell our story to a movie studio, they’d just laugh, so I try to forget about all that and stay grounded in the here and now. It isn’t hard to do when you are living out of a tour bus and wondering when you’ll next get a chance to do your laundry.”

Elizabeth: “I never thought this would happen, and in truth, I fought it the longest. I wanted LBS to make it on our own, but in the end, I knew that this was the way it was going to go.” Elizabeth smiles at Darcy. “And I’m glad it did.”

Darcy: “Me too.”

Mark: “We are almost out of time here, but do you have anything to add on how Slurry has grown?”

Darcy (slowly): “I started Slurry as a way of coping with the loss of my parents. Over time it’s not just helped me deal with the loss of my family, but it’s become my family, both figuratively and now literally. It’s surpassed everything I ever imagined for it, and it just continues to grow. I’m humbled by what we have created and the lives we have touched. It was a long, hard road to get here, but this past year has been very healing, for Slurry as a band and for its individual members. We’re now stronger and able to move on to the next level, whatever that may bring.”

Mark: “I want to thank you all for coming to talk to us about what is being called the ‘wedding of the year’ and about what we can expect from Slurry and Long Borne Suffering. I’d like to wish you all good luck with your future and a happy Valentine’s Day.”

Cut away from the studio and play “Journey to You” video while the credits roll.

The End

Acknowledgments

 This book was written at a breakneck pace requiring not just the energies of myself but also several dear women who proofread and edited, as well as listened to any number of weird songs I threw at them, all without complaint.

My thanks go to Abigail, Dorothy, Elaine, Amy, Jean-Louise, Debbie, and Sylvie.